We are indeed a species of finger pointers when we imagine the ship slowly sinking. We love to judge and we do it well. We are experts at it. No one is exempt. And it makes us feel better because it takes away our need to look at our own portion inside the cup. For some, it must always be the other person’s fault and never our own.
Reading this week's news concerning the fall and eventual demise of certain Christian groups is nothing new. It has been written before. Someone always has to take blame. But let us not forget Christ’s own words, "And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it... " [Matthew 16:18]
And if we wanted to understand we could. This "blindness" is self-inflicted. There's plenty to go around and certainly not restricted to any one group. You have those who have made Paul of the NT words greater than Jesus. They prefer this since they are easier on the conscience than Christ's teachings. From that comes the hypocrisy or -- the hole in the boat. One cannot omit the words of Christ -- over anyone’s! As Jesus also said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord..." [John 13:16; Matthew 5:17]
That would seem to suggest that all Christ’s Words still apply above all others...
I believe the following scripture has been misinterpreted and caused a lot of concerns over the years…
Romans 3:28 (see also Galatians 2:16)
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Prior to Jesus’ sacrifice, there was only the law and the promise of the coming Messiah. Jesus completed that promise. And for the first time ever in history, repented sinners could be forgiven. Prior to Jesus, it had become tainted by man and most remained dead. Paul spoke often about the law and faith because the current religious sect of those days did not believe in Jesus and the gift he gave through his sacrifice.
Those who have taught or believed the laws do not apply within faith have done a disservice to themselves and others. We should never jeopardize our souls or others because it is popular or more attractive or appealing.
Faith is not just an empty word. As we must get up each day for work or other—we must walk our talk until the end. And repent when needed. Jesus’ sacrifice gave us the gift of repentance, but it never eliminated the laws. Some have made faith external. Again, faith is not a magic pill.
Isn't that what the Pharisees and Sadducees did? (See Mt. 3:7-9, Ecc.1:9).
Even Paul knew the above—so what is my proof?
Galatians 3:23
But before faith came, we were kept under the law. Shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Again, who was the servant and who was Lord?
(Warning: the above statement should, alone, end all confusion. We can lie to others and even try to convince ourselves. But we cannot lie to God in Heaven--or even on Earth. And God knows what we are capable of understanding concerning the truth.)
Jesus said…
Luke 16:17
And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, then one tittle of the law to fail.
Matthew 5:17
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Matthew 19:17
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
If it weren’t so, why did Jesus bother teaching the commandments or anything?
If all we had to do was join a particular church, where it is taught the laws no longer exist (since we are now covered then assuming basically that anything goes...) how is that not preposterous? Have you ever heard the phrase, "once saved, always saved?" Again, faith in God is not a magical pill. We are responsible until our last breath--in other words, our behavior matters until the end.
I believe this is why church attendance is low. There are some using commonsense sensing something is amiss.
How many times in life are we challenged with a choice that we know or believe is wrong? Yet, temptation gets the best of us and we do it anyway (see Adam and Eve).
It's called sin.
Faith: belief and trust in God.
Just because we truly believe--or not, doesn't mean we adhere to it.
Repent: to pray to God for forgiveness and turn away from sin, choosing to reform one's life.
Our focus is misplaced. Those who worry of false-prophets should be more concerned of their personal reading since the Gospels have been around for nearly 2000 years. Can even Mark 10:25, Matthew 5:43, 6:6, 7:22, 16:27, 22:37-40, 23:23-24, plus Luke 16:13 really be ignored or dismissed as trivial? Is this the true schism? Do we leave church thirsty and hungry, yet hours have gone by? How is that possible? Did God’s son not leave us adequately fed? Standing before Christ, I'm telling you the truth -- it is the elephant in the room...
God is slow to anger. However, since the beginning of time when God was not pleased with us, it has always been from negative human behavior. Perhaps God's church is not in the brick and mortar--but lies first in the true decency within us (Matthew 25:40). And that is how God's kingdom of paradise remains forever...
In the end, we have only ourselves to point at.
[Matthew 5:16, Revelation 22:11]
(For additional clarification: see John 12:49-50, John 5:43, and then lastly, 2 Corinthians 11:17).
See: Matthew 22:36-40, Matthew 23:23-28, and Rev 21:27.
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Posted by Elizabeth Daniele Contact
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